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Greed Seeks the Help of Slotha
46"But Greed, realizing that by herself she could not accomplish her desire through these men, changed her strategy in order to fulfill her plan. She summoned Sloth who neglects to initiate good deeds and to complete initiatives. [Greed] entered into an agreement with her and made a pact against them. She was hardly acquainted with [Sloth] nor even connected with her, yet they willingly came together as one for an evil purpose, as Herod and Pilate had once done against the Savior.
"Once the agreement was made, Sloth growled and, after she had launched her attack, advanced her cohorts against the territory of these men. As she drew her weapons with all her strength, she extinguished the charity of these men, and turned them toward apathy and laziness. And so little by little, shriveled up by faintheartedness, their hearts became dead.
Religious Overcome by Sloth
47"Then they began to pine with misery for what they had left behind in Egypt.b What they had once scorned with magnificent heart, they now sought with shame. They walked in sadness the way of God's commandments and, with arid hearts, they ran after his precepts. They grew weak under the burden and were hardly able to breathe for want of spirit. Sorrow was rare among them, contrition non-existent, obedience full of complaint, thought animal-like, joy dissipated, sadness fainthearted, speech unguarded, laughter easy. There was giddiness on their face, vanity in their manner of walking; their clothes were soft and delicate, carefully cut and even more carefully stitched. Their sleep was plentiful, food abundant, drink intemperate. They tossed their trash, foolishness, and words to the winds. They told stories, changed laws, administered provinces, and eagerly manipulated people's deeds. There was no care for spiritual exercises, no eagerness for
- Acidia, more commonly called sloth through confusion with its most notable effect, is a disgust with the spiritual because of the physical effort involved. Following the earlier monastic tradition, John Cassian saw acidia as one of the principal vices of religious life and devoted one of his Conferences to a study of its spirit (cf. John Cassian, Conferences 10, PL 49: 359-369).
- The description of acidia [sloth] that follows parallels those of monastic authors who list six "daughter-sins:" malice, rancor, pusillanimity, despair, torpor concerning commandments, and a wandering of the mind around forbidden things. The author of this text clearly sees this vice as encouraging religious to look elsewhere, i.e., to the rich, for satisfaction of their desires.
Sacrum commercium sancti Francisci cum domina Paupertate, Fontes Franciscani, p.
Capitulum 22 Avaritia auxilium Acidie petit.
1"Sed videns Avaritia quod per se non posset suum adimplere desiderium ex ipsis, mutavit consilium ut impleret propositum . 2Vocavitque Acidiam, que bona negligit inchoare et inchoata perficere, et statuit fedus cum ea et pactum pepigit contra istos. 3Non erat ei nimis familiaris nec forte coniuncta, tamen in malum libenter convenerunt in unum, sicut olim Herodes et Pilatus adversus Salvatorem.
4Inito consilio, infremuit Acidia et, facto impetu, cum satellitibus suis fines eorum ingressa est, et, totis viribus arma sua deducens, caritatem eorum exstinxit et in teporem et torporem convertit eos. 5Sicque parum a pusillanimitate spiritus absorpti, facti sunt tamquam mortui a corde."
Capitulum 23 De religiosis per Acidiam victis.
1"Ceperunt deinde ad queque egyptiaca, que reliquerant, miserrime suspirare et que corde magnifico contempserant turpiter requirebant. 2Incedebant tristes viam mandatorum Dei et corde arido ad queque iniuncta currebant. 3Deficiebant sub onere et pre inopia spiritus vix poterant suspirare. 4Rara compunctio erat eis, contritio nulla, obedientia plena murmure, cogitatio animalis, letitia dissoluta, pusillanimis tristitia, sermo incautus, risus facilis; 5in vultu hilaritas, in incessu vanitas, vestis mollis et delicata, studiose incisa, studiosius consuta, somnus multus, cibus superfluus, potus intemperatus. 6Nugas et trufas et verba proferebant in ventum. Recitabant fabulas, mutabant leges, disponebant provincias et hominum facta diligenter tractabant. 7De exercitio spirituali nulla cura, nullum studium de salute anime, rara collatio de celestibus et eternis tepens desiderium.